Apparatus for cleaning machines and room surfaces



March 20, 1962 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING MACHINES AND ROOM SURFACES Filed Nov. 10, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 56 I l n H 8? 95 35 2220 2 r {02 L 5-31 '97 I5 l A 3 [2 IO W GROVER B HOLTZCLAW,

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS March 20, 1962 G. B. HOLTZCLAW 3,026,020

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING MACHINES AND ROOM SURFACES Filed Ndv. 10, 1959 s Sheets-Sheet 2 GROVE-R B. HQ L'rzc LAW,

' INVENTOR Bygomwwmw' ATTORNEYS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 G. B. HOLTZCLAW APPARATUS FOR CLEANING MACHINES AND ROOM SURFACES Filed Nov. 10, 8

March 20, 1962 Ill )5 INVENTOR. GROVER B. "HOLTZCLAW 3,926,020 APPARATUS FOR (ILEANHNG MACHINES AND ROOM SURFAQES Grover B. Holtzclaw, Charlotte, N.C., assignor to Parks- Cramer Company, Fitchhurg, Mass a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Nov. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 772,935 14 Claims. (Cl. 230-47) This invention relates to an improved blower-type cleaning apparatus for removing lint, dust and other loose material from machinery and from adjacent surfaces of an enclosure, such as textile processing machinery and the ceiling, walls and overhead objects in a room containing such machinery.

Traveling cleaners have heretofore been provided which move along tracks extending longitudinally over series of textile machines, with means for directing streams of air downwardly upon the machines therebeneath and the material in process, to blow lint, dust and other loose matter away from the machines. Separate traveling cleaners have been provided heretofore having means for rotatably or oscillatably directing currents of air upwardly and outwardly toward the ceiling, side walls and other overhead surfaces and objects in the room. In some instances, these two types of traveling cleaners have been used in tandem on the same trackways.

While the separate or tandem operation of some of these two types of traveling cleaners has been generally satisfactory, they have been expensive to manufacture, operate and maintain due to the fact that they were mounted on separate carriages, driven by separate motors and involved the use of separate air impellers or fans. In addition no way has heretofore been found automatically to keep various parts of these traveling cleaners themselves clean.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a means for overcoming the aforementioned limitations and disadvantages of prior traveling cleaners, by combining in a single carriage, single motor and single fan unit, a traveling blower which while providing the best cleaning functions of prior units, eliminates their most series shortcomings, and adds outstanding improvements.

It is another object of this invention to provide a lower unit comprising relatively rotatable or oscillatable, intercommunicating chambers, each chamber provided with at least one air outlet, and at least one of the chambers being provided with an air inlet, with air circulating means common to the chambers for drawing air into the air inlet, through the chambers and projecting the air therefrom for cleaning purposes.

In accordance with this invention in its preferred embodiment, a blower unit, movable along an elevated trackway above a row or rows of textile machines, comprises a first chamber having one or more dependent outlet conduits through which air is directed toward portions of the machines and under machines, and a second chamber rotatably or oscillatably supported above the first chamber having an air outlet for directing air outwardly and upwardly toward the side walls, ceiling and other overhead surfaces, with a common rotary impeller for effecting flow of air through both chambers, whereby the blower unit may be propelled along the trackway, the impeller may be driven and the second chamber may be rotated or oscillated, all by a single motor.

It is a further object to provide in a preferred embodiment of this invention a traveling blower unit movable along an elevated trackway above a row or rows of textile machines, with its single motor and single fan mounted on a substantially vertical axis, the fan surrounding the motor, with two air chambers surrounding the fan, one or both of which contain an air inlet, the lower chamber being preferably stationary with reference to the carriage and having one or more air outlets with an extended, downwardly or inwardly directed, preferably fiexible below head height, duct or ducts for delivering air to machine surfaces and to under-machine areas. The upper chamber is continuously rotated or oscillated relative to the lower chamber as the cleaner is propelled along the track and is open at the bottom in communication with the open top of the lower chamber. The air outlet or outlets at the side or top of the upper chamber extend outwardly or upwardly for delivering air to overhead room surfaces or objects, and either or both air chambers have such additional air outlets as may be suitable for directing air against surfaces to be cleaned including the respective upper and lower portions of the traveling cleaner itself and the track on which it rides.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- FEGURE l is an end elevation of a preferred embodiment of the improved blower unit mounted upon a trackway above a typical spinning frame, with the trackway and portions of the spinning frame being shown in cross section and broken away;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the blower unit of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the blower unit looking at the right-hand side of the upper portion of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 4-4 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional plan view taken substantially along line 5-5 in FIGURE 4.

The present apparatus is particularly adapted for use in removing lint, and other loose light material from rows of textile machines and adjacent surfaces and is, therefore, shown mounted upon a trackway 10 which extends longitudinally above a spinning frame 11. The spinning frame 11 is representative of a row of machines above which the improved blower unit is mounted and to which unit movement may be effected substantially as disclosed in Us. Patent No. 2,011,763 issued to W. B. Hodge et al. on August 20, 1935.

In this instance, the trackway 10 includes a pair of tracks 12, 13 supported on brackets 14 which are, in turn, supported on the upper ends of posts 15, only one of which is shown in FIGURES l and 3. Posts 15 may be supported upon the spinning frames, as shown, or the floor between adjacent spinning frames, as desired.

In its preferred embodiment, the blower unit of the present invention comprises an electric motor 20 which rides upon a carriage 21, carriage 21 being shown in the form of a gear box fixed to or formed integral with the housing of electric motor 20 and having suitable rollers 22, 23 thereon which ride upon tracks 12, 13. One or more of the rollers 23 may be driven by electric motor 29 substantially as disclosed in said patent. Electric motor 20 has a shaft 25 thereon which preferably rotates about a vertical axis and on which a hub 26 of an impeller 2'7 is fixedly mounted.

Impeller 27 is especially constructed so as to minimize the height of the improved blower unit above trackway it). To this end, a plate or wheel 30 is suitably secured to or formed integral with hub 26 and has the upper ends of a plurality of circularly arranged blades 31 suitably secured thereto. The blades 31 extend substantially parallel to the axis of shaft 25, their lower portions surround motor 20, and their lower ends are connected to a common ring 32 which also encircles motor and is provided as a means for maintaining blades 31 in rigid, proper spaced relationship.

The blower unit is in the form of a composite centrifugal blower or housing, to the extent that it includes a lower or first volute casing or chamber broadly designated at 3-5 and an upper or second volute casing or chamber broadly designated at 36. Although the lower and upper casings 35, 36 move with carriage 21 along trackway 10, lower casing 35 may be termed as a stationary casing and upper casing 36 may be termed as a rotary casing. Lower casing 35 comprises a hollow body 37 which is substantially circular or elliptical in plan and has a pair of substantially radially extending offset air outlet portions 40, 41 thereon, which serve as spouts or ducts for directing streams of air outwardly substantially radially of impeller 27.

Each duct 40, 41 preferably curves downwardly at its free end and has a tube 4-2, preferably of pliable or flexible construction, communicatively connected thereto and depending therefrom. In this instance, each tube 42 is provided with a plurality of orifices 43 for directing blasts of air inwardly against various parts of the spinning frame 11. The orifices 43 may also direct blasts of air downwardly against the floor upon which the spinning frame 11 rests. One side of the downwardly curved end of each duct 40, 41 may also be provided with a downwardly and inwardly inclined tubular member 45 for directing a stream of air toward the drafting rolls, for example, of the spinning frame 11.

The central portion or body 37 of lower casing 35 is supported on motor 20 by means of a plurality of circularly arranged angle brackets 50 whose lower portions extend outwardly and have the bottom wall 47 of the body 37 of lower casing 35 suitably secured thereto. Bottom wall 47 of lower casing 35 is provided with an air inlet opening 51 through which motor 20 extend-s, opening 51 being of substantially greater diameter than motor 20 to permit a sufficient volume of air to be admitted to impeller 27 in accordance with the cleaning to be accomplished by the traveling unit. Air drawn into casing 35, flows past the motor body and prevents overheating of motor 20.

As heretofore stated, the upper or second casing 36 is arranged to rotate relative to the lower or stationary casing 35, and the same impeller 27 causes circulation of air through both casings 35, 36-. To this end, upper casing 36 comprises a substantially circular body 55 provided with at least one outlet portion 56 for directing a stream of air outwardly, which stream of air moves in a substantially rotary path with rotation of upper casing 36.

A substantially U-shaped extension or nozzle 57 is suitably secured to and extends outwardly from outlet portion 56 of upper casing 36, and has a curved deflector element 60 suitably secured to the upper surface of the bottom wall thereof. Deflector element 60 bridges the distance between the side wall portions of extension 57 and curves outwardly and upwardly so as to deflect the flow of air from outlet portion 56 upwardly at an angle toward the ceiling and upper portions of the walls of the room in which the apparatus is used.

-In order to facilitate adjustment of deflector element 60 and thereby vary the angle at which air from upper casing 36 leaves nozzle 57, deflector element 60 is preferably made from a flexible material, such as sheet metal, and its lower surface, adjacent the free end thereof, is engaged by the upper edge of an inwardly and outwardly adjustable bracket 61 whose lower portion has an adjustment slot 62 therein penetrated by a bolt 63 for securing the same to the upper surface of the bottom wall of nozzle 57. It is apparent that inward adjustment of bracket 61 causes deflector element 60 to extend at a generally steeper angle relative to the bottom of nozzle 57, and outward adjustment of bracket 61 causes deflector element 60 to extend at a more shallow angle relative to nozzle 57.

Upper casing 36 is supported for rotation upon lower casing 35 through intervening elements including an annular grooved or V-pulley 65 which preferably, but not necessarily, has an annular bearing race 66 suitably secured to the lower surface thereof. Bearing race 66 rides upon a similar annular bearing race 67 suitably secured to the upper wall of lower casing 35. The bottom wall of upper casing 36, indicated at 70, is suitably secured to the upper surface of grooved pulley 65. As shown in the left-hand portion of FIGURE 4, bottom wall 70 of upper casing 36, grooved pulley 65, and bearing race 66 may be secured together by any suitable means, such as bolts 71.

The top wall of lower casing 35 and the bottom wall 70 of upper casing 36 are provided with respective openings therein which are substantially concentric with impeller 27, and these openings, with the bottom bearing race 67 and the annular pulley 65, collectively define an opening '72 through which the blades 31 of impeller 27 extend and through which air flows as it is drawn into upper casing 36 through opening 51 in lower wall 47, through lower casing 35 and into upper casing 36 to be exhausted through outlet portion 56.

The upper wall of upper casing 36, indicated at 75, is also provided with a substantially circular opening 76 therein which is preferably closed by a cover or plate 77 removably secured to the upper wall 75, as by screws 78. In order to maintain upper casing 36 substantially concentric with impeller 27, the upper portion of upper casing 36 is provided with a bearing support 81 which may be suitably secured to and extend between opposed portions :of the side wall of upper casing 36. Support 81 is suitably secured to the lower surface of cover 77. Bearing support 81 carries a bearing block 82, preferably made from a resilient material, in which an anti-friction bearing 83 is positioned. The inner race of bearing 83 is mounted on the upper portion of shaft 25 of motor 20.

In order to impart rotation to upper casing 36 at a slow speed relative to the speed of impeller 27 with movement of the blower unit along tracks 12, 13 an endless belt 85 is entrained about grooved pulley 6-5 and also engages a relatively small V pulley 86 fixed on the upper end of a shaft 87 journaled in a bracket 90. Bracket 93 is adjustably secured to one side of arm or duct portion 46 of lower casing 35 so as to be adjusted toward and away from upper casing 36 for taking up any slack in the belt 85. To this end, bracket 96 is provided with adjustment slots 91 therein penetrated by screws 92 for securing the same to lower casing 35. An outwardly projecting portion 93 of bracket is penetrated by a threaded shaft or take-up screw 94 which also penetrates a threaded angle clip or stationary bracket 95 suitably secured to one side of arm or duct portion 40 of lower casing 35. The outer end of take-up screw 94 preferably has a lock nut 96 threaded thereon for maintaining bracket 90 in the desired adjusted position.

The lower end of shaft 87 in FIGURE 1 has a bevel gear 97 fixed thereon which meshes with another bevel gear 100 fixed on a stub shaft 101 journaled in the lower portion of bracket 90. As heretofore stated, carriage 21 includes a gear box having suitable gearing therein which may be substantially as disclosed in said Hodge et al.

Patent No. 2,011,763. This gearing drives at least one roller 23 through the medium of a shaft 132 on which roller 23 is fixedly mounted. A connecting shaft 103 is connected to the proximal ends of shafts 101, 102 by suitable universal joints 104. Thus, the shaft 102 imparts rotation to upper casing 36, through the intervening connections heretofore described, while lower casing 35 remains stationary with respect to the carriage, but while the blower unit moves bodily along trackway 10.

It is apparent that lower casing 35 acts to direct outwardly a portion of the currents of air from impeller 27, in streams of substantially constant direction, while upper casing 36 directs another portion of the air outwardly from the upper casing 36 in the form of a revolving or rotating stream or streams, so that a single impeller serves to direct a current or currents of air outwardly and downwardly for cleaning various parts of the machines above which the blower unit moves, and also serves to direct at least one current of air outwardly and upwardly while moving the latter current in a rotary path so as to remove lint and other loose material from the ceiling and walls of the room inwhich the machines are disposed.

The present novel arrangement of the relatively rotatable casings 35, 36 not only insures efiicient removal of lint and other loose material from rows of textile machines and adjacent surfaces, such as the ceilings and walls of the room in which the machines are disposed, but also facilitates a simple and inexpensive construction and economy of operation, since only a single motor need be used for imparting movement to the blower unit longitudinally of trackway 10, imparting high speed rotation to impeller 27 and imparting relatively slow speed rotation to upper casing 36.

Since upper casing 36 is spaced slightly above lower casing 35, lower wall 70 of outlet portion 56 of upper casing 36 may be provided with a relatively small auxiliary opening 110 (FIGURE 5), with a relatively small deflector element 111 extending between the upper and lower walls 75, 70 of upper casing 36, at the outlet portion 56 thereof, and coinciding with the outer edge portions of opening 110. Thus, deflector element 111 directs a portion of the air, which passes through outlet portion 56, downwardly through auxiliary opening 110 to thereby prevent lint and the like from accumulating upon the arms or duct portions 44 and 41 of lower casing 35 and adjacent elements beneath upper casing 36. In a similar manner, an opening in the upper wall of lower casing 35 may be included, as at 112, to deliver a small stream of air upward to clean the lower surface of upper casing 36 and associated areas.

As heretofore described, it is desirable that lower casing 35 and the lower portions of blades 31 of impeller 27 encircle the motor body so as to minimize the vertical height of the blower unit above the trackway, serve as an enclosure for the motor, and prevent overheating of the motor.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A blower unit comprising a single driven rotary impeller, 21 housing enclosing said impeller, said housing having first air outlet means acting to direct a portion of the air outwardly from the impeller in the form of at least one stream of substantially constant direction, said housing also having other air outlet means to direct another portion of the air outwardly from the impeller, and means connected to said other air outlet means for revolving the same relative to the first air outlet means.

2. A blower unit comprising a pair of intercommunicating and relatively rotatable chambers each provided with at least one air outlet, at least one of the chambers having at least one air inlet, and a single air circulating means common to both chambers for drawing air into said air inlet and exhausting air from the outlet of each chamber.

3. A blower unit comprising first and second relatively rotatable chambers having respective air passage openings therein, a driven rotary impeller common to the first and second chambers and so arranged as to cause air to flow through the openings in both the first and second chambers in the same general direction with respect to the impeller during relative rotation of the chambers.

4. A blower unit, adapted to be mounted and moved upon a trackway, comprising a stationary casing, a rotary casing communicating with the stationary casing, a driven rotary impeller common to and partially disposed within both casings, at least one of the casings having at least one air inlet therein, and each casing having at least one air outlet therein.

5. A traveling blower unit, for removing lint and other loose matter from surfaces of an enclosure and machinery in the enclosure, an elevated trackway in the enclosure and said unit being mounted for movement along said trackway, said unit comprising a driven rotary air impeller, means to direct part of the blast of air from the impeller outwardly substantially laterally of the trackway, other means acting to direct part of the blast of air outwardly from the impeller independently of the first-mentioned air directing means whereby the impeller is common to both air directing means, and means connected to said other air directing means to revolve the same about a substantially vertical axis while the impeller is rotating and while the unit is propelled along the trackway.

6. A blower unit, adapted to be mounted for movement along a trackway, comprising a first chamber having at least one air outlet therein, a second chamber disposed in substantially coaxial relationship with the first chamber and having at least one air outlet therein and being supported for rotation relative to the first chamber, a driven rotary impeller common to both chambers for forcing air outwardly through the outlets of both chambers, and means for revolving the second chamber relative to the first chamber.

7. A blower unit comprising a single driven rotary impeller, a plurality of substantially axially alined casings enclosing said impeller, means imparting relative rotation to said casing, at least one of said casings having at least one opening therein for entrance of air therethrough, and each of said casings having at least one other opening therein for discharge of air therethrough whereby said impeller causes air to flow through all of said plurality of casings and the respective discharge openings simultaneously.

8. A blower unit comprising first and second substantially coaxial, relatively rotatable volute casings having respective substantially radial air outlet passageways therein, at least one of said casings having an air inlet opening therein in substantially axially opposed relation to the other of the casings, and a driven rotary fan common to the first and second casings 'and so arranged as to cause air to flow outwardly through the passageways in both the first and second casings in substantially radial directions with respect to the fan during relative rotation of the casings.

9. A blower unit comprising an electric motor having a shaft thereon, an impeller fixed on the shaft, a first casing surrounding a portion of the impeller and having at least one outwardly extending duct communicating therewith, a second casing supported for rotation adjacent one end of the first casing and having a body enclosing another portion of said impeller, the body of the second casing having an air outlet passageway thereon, at least one of said casings having an air inlet opening in one outer end located substantially axially of said impeller, and means for rotating the second casing whereby the impeller causes air to enter said opening and flow outwardly through the duct on the first casing and through said passageway in generally the same radial direction relative to the impeller.

10. A blower unit comprising an electric motor having a shaft thereon, an impeller fixed on the shaft and including a circular series of blades at least partially encircling the electric motor, a first casing having an enlarged portion encircling the blades and also having at least one outwardly extending duct communicating therewith, a second casing supported for rotation adjacent one end of the first casing and having a body also encircling the blades, the body of the second casing having an outlet portion thereon, means for rotating the second casing, and at least one of said casings being provided with at least one air inlet therein adjacent a corresponding end of said impeller whereby the impeller causes outward flow of air through both the duct and the outlet portion.

11. A blower unit comprising an electric motor having a. substantially vertical shaft thereon, an impeller fixed on the shaft and including a circular series of blades, a first casing supported in fixed relation to the carriage and having an enlarged portion encircling lower portions of said blades, at least one outwardly extending duct communicating with said enlarged portion, an upper casing supported for rotation above the first casing and having a body encircling upper portions of said blades, the body of the upper casing having an outlet portion thereon, and means for rotating the upper casing whereby the impeller causes air to flow outwardly through the duct of the first casing and causes air to flow outwardly in the form of a stream, moving in a generally rotary path, from the upper casing.

12. A structure according to claim 11 including a gear box carried by said motor, a second shaft extending outwardly from said gear box and being operatively connected to said motor, said means for rotating the upper casing including a pulley attached to and concentric with the body of the upper casing, an endless pliable element engaging said pulley, another pulley also engaging said pliable element and being supported for rotation by the firstv casing, and adriving connection between the second shaft extending from the gear box and said other pulley.

13. A structure according to claim 11 including defiecs tor means positioned in said outlet portion, and means to adjust said deflector means to vary the angle at which air is. discharged from said upper casing.

14. A traveling air blowing unit comprising a driven rotary impeller, means acting to direct a portion of the air outwardly from the impeller in the form of at least one stream of substantially constant direction, other means to direct another portion of the air outwardly from the impeller, and meansv for moving said other air directing means relative to the first-mentioned means.

References Cited in the file of, this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS.

OTHER REFERENCES Advertisement in Textile World of Parks Cramer Company, March 1957'. (Page 91.) 

